Toronto Raptors' All-Star guard Kyle Lowry was recently seen in an Instagram post by New York Knicks forward Kyle O'Quinn looking much more svelte than he has ever been. And recently, Jordan Zirm of Stack.com got a chance to speak with the dynamic guard to ask about the weight loss.

"I guess it took off and people got excited about it," Lowry said of the Instagram post that showed him in a black tank top and black shorts, while sporting the slimmer physique. "It ended up being a topic of discussion. But for me, it wasn't about showing off my body. It was about me wanting to be the best player I could possibly be, and trying to educate my body to make sure I'm the best player I can be for 82 games and a long playoff run."

Lowry cited former NBA players Ray Allen and Chauncey Billups as the inspiration for his weight loss. "The saying is, the older you get, the lighter you've got to be," he said. "I'm getting to the point where I'm a little bit older, and I can pick and choose how I want my body to look and feel. It's good to understand your body. I want to be special. At the end of the day, it's about me and how I feel and what I can provide for my team and my family."

Lowry shared that his offseason training this year included weight lifting at Impact Basketball, bike riding, extreme Pilates and a lot of cardio.

" I don't play as much pick-up basketball during the summer as I used to when I was younger," the 29-year-old said. "There's not too much running and sprinting. Instead of doing five days of lifting, I do three days of lifting and two days of cardio. Before, I would life five days and take a day off. Now, there's no days off, but there's a conditioning day and a recovery day and there's always work being done."

In 70 games for the Raptors last season, Lowry averaged 17.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.8 assists, making the All-Star team for the first time in his career.